Social Work / Maatskaplike Werk (E-Journal)
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ESSAY: ’N MAATSKAPLIKEWERK-PIONIER
Get PDFOp 17 Mei 2007 is Erika Theron ’n eeu gelede gebore. ’n Terugskouing is nodig om te kyk na die fondamente wat sy in maatskaplike werk gelê het en hoe toepaslik dit vandag nog vir die professie is. As pionier was sy op vele gebiede ’n eerste en het grense verskuif. In hierdie essay sal die bydrae wat sy op ’n groot verskeidenheid terreine gelewer het, ondersoek word
“SATISFIED AND/OR DISSATISFIED?” THE EXPERIENCE-BASED PERCEPTIONS OF SOCIAL WORK STUDENT CUSTOMERS OF STUDYING AT AN OPEN AND DISTANCE-LEARNING UNIVERSITY
Get PDFBecause of their core business, institutions of higher education should be regarded as “service industries” (Chen, 2009:77; Sander, Stevenson, King, & Coates, 2000:309). In terms of their objectives, these institutions’ primary concerns are threefold: to promote individuals’ academic development by way of providing in-depth knowledge and skills through teaching and learning; to develop new knowledge through vigorous research and the dissemination of research findings for the benefit of society; to render community services to society by means of consultation and engaging in community-orientated service activities (Chen, 2009:77; Maliyamokono in Higgs & Van Wyk, 2006:87).When labelling institutions of higher education as “service industries”, the consumers of services of such higher institutions can no longer only be regarded as “students” but should be viewed as “customers”. They are customers who seem to be well informed about their rights as consumers, who demand effective and quality services, who voice their concerns and dissatisfaction through formal and informal channels (i.e. in communications to University authorities as well as through public demonstrations and in the media and on social networks (Sander et al., 2000:309)). As an example, one article in the printed media comes to mind (i.e. “Unisa students march to protest high fees, service” by Tsabeng Nthite in The Pretoria News on 23 September 2006:3)
THE ECONOMIC AND PSYCHO-SOCIAL EXPERIENCES AND COPING RESOURCES OF FAMILY MEMBERS CARING FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH AIDS IN THEIR HOMES IN BHAMBAYI, KWAZULU-NATAL, SOUTH AFRICA
Get PDFThere is empirical evidence that families have responded with much resilience and compassion to caring for persons living with AIDS (PWAs) in their homes (Engelbrecht & Kasiram, 2007; Sekokotla & Mturi, 2004; Simpson & Raniga, 2004). At the same time families in poverty-stricken communities are increasingly struggling and failing to provide optimally for the economic and psycho-social needs of PWAs who are in their care (Bartlett & Finkbeiner, 2006; Darling, Olmstead & Tiggleman, 2009). It is not surprising, however, at a time when the devastating effects of HIV and AIDS are all too evident, that international organisations, national governments and civil society organisations recognise the invaluable role played by extended family members as support caregivers in the care of those terminally ill with AIDS
AN INTERGENERATIONAL PERSPECTIVE ON RISK AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS IN MULTI-PROBLEM POOR FAMILES LIVING IN CAPE TOWN
Get PDFAt the time of the research the first author was employed as a social worker at a welfare organisation in the Cape Peninsula with a case load of over 300 clients. About 30 of these cases were multi-problem families who had been receiving social work services over at least three generations. The concern was that these multi-problem poor families seemed to be immobilised and found it difficult to break out of the cycle of poverty and welfare dependenc
ASSESSMENT OF PAIN AND SUFFERING IN CHILD ABUSE AND HOMICIDE VICTIMS: SUGGESTIONS FOR SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE
Get PDFChild abuse and homicide are on the increase worldwide. Often the burden falls upon social workers to argue the case of victims without being able to quantify the pain the children have suffered. A case study approach was used in which a High Court case was utilised as base to describe the proposed methodology to assess the level of pain, post-mortem, a victim could have gone through. The application was a four-step methodology constructed by using paediatric pain assessment. This study found that there is a need for the development of post-mortem pain scales to aid social workers
A REVIEW OF LEGISLATION PERTAINING TO CHILDREN, WITH PARTICULAR EMPHASIS ON PROGRAMMES OFFERED TO CHILDREN AWAITING TRIAL AT SECURE CARE CENTRES IN SOUTH AFRICA
Get PDFThe 1996 Constitution ushered in a new constitutional dispensation in South Africa, increasing the pressure on the government to give effect to the rights of children awaiting trial. As a result, a plethora of different Acts were promulgated, which form the basis of this discussion. While the thrust of the Acts deal with the rights of children, this article focuses specifically on programmes offered at secure care centres to determine their value for the lives of children awaiting trial
DO SOCIAL WORKERS REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE? MEASURING CLIENT SATISFACTION IN AN OCCUPATIONAL SETTING
Get PDFConsiderable time, effort and money annually go into the provision of social work services. South African practitioners cannot, however, yet prove beyond a doubt that these services meet the needs of client systems. Especially one gap still remains on the accountability continuum. This is the extent to which clients themselves are satisfied with the services they receive. Part of this gap has now been filled with the development and testing of client satisfaction scales for an occupational setting. This paper will deal with the nature of these scales and the implications of their use for the broader social work field
SOCIAL WORK FORENSIC REPORTS IN SOUTH AFRICAN CRIMINAL COURTS: INEVITABILITY IN THE QUEST FOR JUSTICE
Get PDFSocial work forensic reports can play a vital role in sentencing. In this article the expectations of criminal courts of social work forensic reports were established in order to improve the contribution of the social work discipline in the search for justice. An important result indicates that courts would like to make use of social work forensic reports, among others. However, the poor writing style of some of these reports makes them unfit for use in the legal context. It is argued that social workers must be trained in critical thinking and the elements of clear writing to enable them to produce high-quality forensic reports.
SUBSTANCE ABUSE AMONGST THE YOUTH IN GRABOUW WESTERN CAPE: VOICES FROM THE COMMUNITY
Get PDFThis article describes the reasons of substance abuse among the youth in Grabouw, Western Cape Province of South Africa. The research was conducted at the request of the community of Grabouw. The ecological approach was followed as a theoretical framework. A qualitative research methodology was used to explore the phenomenon under study. The research followed an explorative, descriptive and contextual research design. The findings showed that the reasons for substance abuse among youths in Grabouw include multiple personal and contextual factors in which the family plays a major rol
THE EVALUATION OF A TRAINING PROGRAMME BASED ON PAULO FREIRE’S VIEWS ON COMMUNITY PRACTICE: A SOUTH AFRICAN EXAMPLE
Get PDFA training programme in personal leadership, directed at facilitators of community practice, based on the principles and methods of Paulo Freire’s approach, was applied and evaluated in an African context. The nature of the training programme was student centred, and implemented in a participatory consciousness-raising and experiential way. The purpose of this article is to report on the evaluation of the programme, which was conducted by means of an exploratory, descriptive and contextual strategy of inquiry pursued within a qualitative paradigm. Practice guidelines derived from the findings indicated the importance of facilitation methods that raise consciousness in the process of transformation.